1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector used in the electric or electronic fields and, more particularly, to an electrical connector comprising a plug assembly having a large number of contact pins and a jack assembly having a large number of receptacle contacts corresponding to the contact pins.
In recent years, electronic instruments such as computers have become very sophisticated, and accordingly, the number of output terminals of such computers has been greatly increased. Therefore, a connector having a large number of pins or contacts is required in this field. Such a connector must be capable of being handled by an operator, and stably connected to a corresponding connector in such a manner that only a small force is necessary when one connector is engaged with or disengaged from the other connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known electrical connector comprises a plug assembly having a large number of contact pins and a jack assembly having a large number of receptacle contacts corresponding to the contact pins. Namely, the plug comprises a large number of contact pins regularly arranged and rigidly secured to a board to constitute a pin array. The jack assembly comprises a large number of receptacle contacts, each usually having a pair of contact portions, and a molded body having a large number of compartments and guide slots corresponding to the array of contact pins. The pairs of contact portions of the receptacle contacts are accommodated in the compartments. When the plug is engaged with the jack, the contact pins of the plug are inserted through the respective guide slots into the compartments i.e., the gaps formed between the pairs of contact portions, in such a manner that the contact pin widens the gap of the contact portions and comes into sliding contact with the contact portions.
However, a conventional connector as mentioned above has several drawbacks. For example, the force for inserting the contact pins into the jack is also used for widening the gaps between the pairs of contact portions, and therefore, if the number of contact pins is increased, the plug insertion force must be also increased. This plug insertion force is exerted directly on the contact pins and receptacle contacts, i.e., on the plug and jack assemblies, so that the parts and materials constituting these assemblies must be strengthened. In addition, if the number of contact pins is further increased, it becomes difficult to uniformly apply a large plug insertion force at all areas of the jack or plug assemblies. This also increases the possibility of damage to or deformation of the contact pins or receptacle contacts.